By Serdar Tumgoren Staff Writer
Gilroy
– A day-long bike trek from Uvas Creek to the Santa Clara
ridgeline may become a recreational reality in coming years with
the completion of the Gilroy Trails Master Plan.
By Serdar Tumgoren Staff Writer
Gilroy – A day-long bike trek from Uvas Creek to the Santa Clara ridgeline may become a recreational reality in coming years with the completion of the Gilroy Trails Master Plan.
Residents will get a glance at the draft for a trail network next Tuesday, when the Trails Master Plan Task Force holds a public session.
In its current form, the draft plan envisions trails connecting the western, southern and eastern portions of town, with most trails following the Llagas and Uvas Creek corridors.
“The Uvas Creek Trail will be a like a spine,” said City Parks and Recreation Engineer Bill Headley. “One day you may be able to rent a bike from the Hilton and ride out to Bonfante Gardens for the day.”
Local bikers and joggers already flock to Uvas Creek Trail, which stretches for about two miles along the western portion of town from Luchessa Avenue north to Third Street.
The draft plan envisions extending that trail system toward the future sports complex, just south of Luchessa Avenue, and to Gavilan College and U.S. Highway 101.
The city also has plans to eventually extend the trail’s western end another two miles to Bonfante Gardens Family Theme Park.
For people who want to take longer rides, the master plan would connect local paths to the county trails. For example, local paths will lead into the Bay Area Ridge Trail, which will one day link the ridgeline running through Santa Clara County and the San Francisco Bay region. Santa Clara County’s Trails Master Plan would extend the Uvas Creek Trail all the way upstream to Uvas Reservoir – an 11-mile trek.
The Trails Task Force “looked at a number of existing documents … to see what planning had been done or proposed, and just built on those previous plans,” according to Lee Steinmetz, the principal architect for the project.
He said many of the proposed trails would run along drainage channels owned by Santa Clara County Water District. The paved trails would generally measure 8- to 12-feet in width and would include unpaved shoulders for joggers, as well as staging areas for parking. In the center of town where there is less land available, the trails would tie into existing and planned bike lanes.
“Some of these things may not happen for generations,” Headley said. “A lot of it is going to be opportunity dependent – if there’s development in one area or another, if there’s grant money for a certain area.”
The Uvas Creek trail may benefit first from that approach. The city this week awarded a bid to move forward with the construction of the Sports Complex south of Luchessa Avenue. The trail extension is scheduled to be installed during the initial phases of construction this summer.
While the master plan’s long-term goals will require assistance, it also includes budget-conscious ideas designed to move forward with the trails in the short term.
When the trails are built, the benefits will extend beyond health and enjoyment, according to Headley.
“We view the trail system as more than just recreation. It also will be a set of circulation routes for non-motorized movement throughout the community,” Headley said. “These are additions that are complimentary to pubic streets.”
What:
Gilroy Trails Master Plan Community Meeting
When:
Nov. 9, 7-9pm
Where:
City Council Chambers, 7351 Rosanna St.
Info:
View plans at City Hall or at www.ci.gilroy.ca.us/planning/genplan.html
Comments:
Submit comments to [email protected]
